Broken
by Cassidy Alice
Summary: She was broken. Perhaps, he was broken as well.
1. Poor, Sweet Katara

Disclaimer: Sadly, i own nothing.

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Chapter I: Poor, Sweet Katara

Her first party had been fourteen years ago. She had been a tiny five year old who had scampered about the place waterbending little boys into blocks of ice and yelling at them. Of course, the little boys had started it first. They had been the ones who pulled her braid and called her names until they had driven her mad. Obviously, the adults didn't believe _that_ and she had been unceremoniously dragged out of the ball by her grandmother.

Her second party wasn't that memorable either. She was seven when her brother had locked her in a closet with another boy who glanced bashfully at while he admitted his true feelings. And when he kissed her, she had hit him so hard, he had screamed for help. None of the adults had believed it when a sobbing water tribe boy told his parents that little Katara had hit him something awful. _Sweet, little Katara? _They had asked. _Don't be ridiculous. _She had been glad that no one knew the truth but her night didn't end there. She had been watching her parents dance while eating her dinner at the children's table when a village boy had slipped her some rotten food. Of course everyone had wondered what had happened to the rotten food that had been kept aside but no one had asked why little Katara was suddenly looking so sick and throwing up. And to make matters worse, during dessert she had been bringing the sweets to an elderly lady sitting at a table when a little girl tripped her. She had landed face first in the pudding and the rest of the sweets had been dumped on young Song who would have gotten married the following day had she not slipped on the pudding and broken her leg.

Her third experience at age ten made her wonder why she even attended these events. A village boy had purposefully set her hair on fire and taunted her while his mentally retarded mother leered at her. Of course Sokka had helped her put out the fire and had throttled the boy, but it still didn't make her feel any better. By then, she had learned to keep to herself so she sat in a corner away from it all, except when another mother insisted that Katara dance with her son. Katara had never been able to tell the young woman that her ten year old son was her mortal enemy so she found herself on the dance floor. At first it hadn't been so bad, but when the boy purposefully stepped on her toes and when he had dropped her several times, she had lost it. If she hadn't been wearing a fancy dress that limited her movement, she might have tackled the boy and chased him around the ballroom. But, instead, she had unleashed her waterbending on him with such fury that her ice crystals had knocked him unconscious. After that, she had been _forced_ to sit in the corner for the remainder of the night and she certainly wouldn't have minded it if the village boys hadn't cornered her and started teasing her. One shoved a papaya into her mouth, while the other pulled her hair, and yet another forced her to drink a foul smelling liquid that looked more like ink than juice. She had been able to withstand the taunting, but the papaya and the liquid had made her sick so she had spent another ball throwing up. And it hadn't helped when the mentally retarded mother thought the young girl needed fresh air and dragged a nauseous Katara out into the frozen tundra and left her there. By the time her father had found her, the ball had ended and she was unconscious after coughing up the remains of her dinner.

Since then, Katara had attended countless balls and parties and similar incidents had happened until the boys began to stop teasing her and started quarrelling amongst themselves for her attention. But by then, it made no difference to her because she kept to herself at balls and parties. This was how all the Water Tribe men found Katara at the annual ball that was held in the Fire Nation. Of course, they had forgotten what they used to do to her, but her memories were sharp and had she been anyone else, she would have had her revenge. But the nineteen-year old politely declined every offer to dance and refused to let the men bring her food(although one managed to), mostly because she was sure that at least one idiot among them remembered everything and she wasn't too keen on spending another evening huddled over wishing she was dead. So for now, she was content to sit in a corner and watch the activity around her.

* * *

If he was anyone else, Avatar Aang would have left the room and never returned. The amount of people that came to talk to him was driving him insane. He had lost count of how many women had dragged him over to their tables where they introduced their young daughters.

"My girl's a wonderful cook and she's not married," one hinted.

"Tell me, Avatar, are you anxious to repopulate the Air Nomad race? Well, my daughter is available," another mother had shamelessly said. Shock and utter surprise made the young Avatar clumsy and he would have died from embarrassment right then and there if another mother hadn't bodily hauled him across the room and introduced her daughter as "a smart, sensible girl who will make a good wife." By then, the Avatar had had enough and he had tried in vain to find the young Fire Lord, Zuko. But when Zuko was nowhere to be found, Aang had escaped into the courtyard where he remained until a servant had come around with plates bearing fruit and handed him one and until Katara found him.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked him. "Shouldn't you be in there talking to people?"

"Nothing in the world can get me back in there," he said, frowning. "I might be able to save the world but I can't save myself from an army of mothers looking to get their daughters married."

Neither one said anything for a while until Katara cried out and immediately spit something into her napkin.

"Papaya," she muttered, disgustedly and she shuddered.

"Are you okay?" Aang asked. "You look sick." Katara grimaced. She wished he hadn't said that. She had been trying to ignore that awful feeling that had taken root ever since the dinner and for a while she had managed to forget about it. But Aang's remark made her realize she _was _feeling sick.

"I'm fine," she lied, but then without a word she ran down the path and disappeared. Aang waited ten minutes before searching the darkened courtyard for her.

He found her huddled next to a tree, looking pale and sick, her eyes closed. He had always known that she hated papayas, but he never imagined that they made her _that _sick.

"Katara?"

"I'm fine," she mumbled. "Just go back."

"If you're fine then I'm a sky bison," he retorted, extending his hand. "Come on. I bet Iroh has some tea that will make you feel better."

Katara shook her head. "I don't feel like moving," She groaned. "Just go back, Aang. I'll be fine. This isn't the first time this happened."

Aang sighed and disappeared, muttering something Katara couldn't hear. He was back five minutes later, though, and just when Katara felt a tiny bit better that he was there, he put her back in misery just by handing her a cup of medicine.

"Drink this."

"What is it?" she asked, eyeing the liquid suspiciously.

"It's just water and herbs boiled together."

Katara took a sip and immediately spit the foul tasting liquid out. "Are you trying to kill me?" she asked, glaring at the young airbender. "This tastes horrible."

"Don't blame me if everything that helps tastes bad. Besides, how bad can it be? The monks at the Western Air Temple used to live off that stuff."

"I wonder how they survived," Katara muttered as she struggled to finish the tonic.

"Feeling better?"

"You'll know when I am."

Aang laughed. "Why?"

"Because you'll be frozen in a block of ice when I'm through with you. I feel awful. I haven't felt this bad since I was ten."

"What happened?"

"You don't want to know."

"Try me."

That was how Suki founded them that night when the party disbanded. Katara was in the middle of telling her story when Suki cried out in surprise.

"Katara, you look terrible."

The waterbender glared at the Kyoshi warrior before burying her face in her hands and mumbling, "I think I'm cursed."

Katara couldn't say exactly how she had gotten to her room that night. Suki had run off in search of Sokka who had been found hours later yelling at a water tribe member for claiming that Katara was going to be his and Toph had disappeared altogether. Zuko and Mai had the unfortunate pleasure of trying to round up a drunken old man who had somehow managed to steal some wine when his middle-aged son had warned the servers not give him anything but water. So Aang had helped her get to her room but she was so exhausted from fighting off nausea and unconsciousness that she didn't know how she had managed to walk to her chamber.

"You are so lucky you don't have to beat up a bunch of idiots," Sokka said as he entered Katara's room.

Katara glared at him. "Lucky? Of course I'm lucky," she hissed. "I'm the idiot who gets sick at every event."

"It was rotten food," Sokka said, gazing sympathetically at his pale sister. "You know that little jerk I locked you up in a closet with when you were seven? He admitted that you ate rotten food that he slipped you on a dare. Why would you eat it?"

"I wasn't…" Katara let her voice trail off. She hadn't been paying attention because she had been watching a middle aged woman drag Aang of to some unknown corner of the ballroom where her beautiful daughter sat. She couldn't tell Sokka that, even if he was her brother.

"You weren't what?" Suki pressed.

"I wasn't really paying attention to the food," Katara lied, thanking whatever force kept Toph and her lie-detecting sense away from her. "I was just watching the people dance."

"Did you see me and Suki?" Sokka asked, his face lighting up. "I think we danced the pants off those snooty Fire Nation nobles." Suki blushed and Aang shook his head.

"I didn't see you," Katara admitted. "But I did see Zuko and Mai. I never thought Mai could dance."

"I never even thought that girl was capable of any good," Sokka said. "She was also so gloomy when she was chasing us around. It's like she had an invisible cloud over her head all the time." He sighed. "There's another party next week; some Fire nation holiday or something but next time please be careful what you do. It seems like whenever we come to these things, something or other happens to you."

"Don't worry," Katara said. "I don't plan on going."

"You're one of the Guests of Honor," Suki said. "We all are which means mandatory attendance."

Katara groaned. "I'm sure no one would notice if I didn't show up."

"Toph's going," Sokka said. "So you're going."


	2. Poor, Broken Katara

R&R. Please and Thank You :)

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Chapter II: Poor, Broken Katara

"I need your help," Zuko said.

"With what?" Aang asked, darkly. "I'm not going to socialize so don't ask me."

"How do you deal with all of them?"

"Who?"

"Those crazy women who try to get you engaged to their daughters. I've been stalked by some crazy Earth Kingdom girl for the last two hours and met at least half of all the girls in the world. I swear, the next girl who comes after me is going to land up in jail."

Aang shrugged but gave a small smile at Zuko's irrational decree. "I made up an excuse."

"What?" Zuko snorted. "That you had another girl."

"Well it worked, didn't it?" Aang asked. "They're not bothering me."

"Well they're not going to buy it if _I_ say something like that."

Aang sighed. "Why not? You've got Mai. Just make sure she comes with you wherever you go and I'm sure those crazy ladies will stay away from you."

"Thanks." Zuko said, disappearing into the crowd again. Aang nodded, wondering if all mothers present were hell-bent on getting their daughters married.

The courtyard had been relatively quiet so perhaps that was why Katara could hear them. There were three of them, each with alabaster skin and chocolate colored hair, dressed in stunning evening gowns while their jewelry sparkled in the evening light. And they had spoken as if they wanted to be heard.

"That's her," one said and Katara was fairly sure they pointed to her so she just pretended to play with the baby turtleduck before her.

"The Avatar's girl," the other sneered. "I wonder what he sees in her."

The first girl shrugged. "I'm sure he's just going to be with her until he gets tired of her. Then he'll move on."

"I don't know, Sue," the third girl said, biting her lip. "They've been together seven years."

"Not really," Sue said. "I mean he can't possibly love her."

"Why not?" the third girl demanded. "Do you know how many girls are after him? And he's refused them all."

"Well Mother says he'll choose one yet," the second girl replied, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. "She's says it'll be Sue."

The first girl, Sue, laughed. "I wouldn't mind. Can you imagine the power?"

"I don't believe you. How can you be so cruel?"

"Calm down, Lia," Sue admonished. "She's only a peasant."

"I hope he rejects you," Lia hissed. "None of you deserve him and he certainly doesn't deserve to get one of you."

"You can't possibly believe that the Avatar would stay with _her_," Sue cried, gesturing to Katara.

"Yes I can," Lia hissed. "They look good together and it wouldn't be the same if he married one of you. You just want him for his status. I bet if he had been anyone else you wouldn't even have noticed him."

"I still don't know what he sees in her," the second girl piped up, shaking her head. "She might be a master waterbender and a chief's daughter but compared to us, she's nothing."

"Shut up," Lia hissed.

"Why are you defending her, Lia?" Sue demanded.

"Because unlike you two, she deserves him," Lia replied. "And you know it." And without another word, Lia dragged her sisters away. The moment they were out of sight, Katara made her way back to the party. She would have loved to thank Lia for defending her, but it seemed that the three girls were always together and she wasn't too eager to face her rude sisters. But she might as well have faced them because wherever she turned, she heard similar comments.

"There she is," one mother shook her head. "Such a plain looking thing and so skinny."

Her companion clucked. "That will be a bad match."

"Heavens, you don't think he could possibly love her, do you?"

"The Avatar love _that_ young woman? Spirits, I should hope not."

"You can't really say. Boys like him are so unpredictable. If only he would take someone like my girl. She's a wonderful bender and she can cook, clean, sew, and that's not the half of it."

"We must have a talk with him about being seen in her company. It's not fitting for someone of his status to be seen with the daughter of a lowly water tribe."

At first, Katara had ignored them but as the months passed and as the comments continued, they got to her. Even the strongest were bound to snap sometime. Perhaps that was why she fled. Even years, later, she couldn't say exactly why she had left everything and disappeared. For days, Sokka searched for her, but it was a long time before he finally found her at the Western Air Temple.

"You nearly killed us by running away like that," Sokka said. Katara remained silent, so Sokka continued. "Dad was worried sick. Even Toph was freaking out. And Aang…"

"Sokka, please go away."

"What?" The shock was etched across his face.

Katara sighed and pointed to the exit. "Go. Please."

"Does this have anything to do with all those rumors?"

"What rumors?"

"That some idiotic girl is engaged to the Avatar."

"No."

"Good, because you shouldn't let it bother you," Sokka said, pressing something into her hand. "You and Aang are like this."

Katara unfurled her hand. "A ball of yarn?" She asked, skeptically.

Sokka shook his head. "Do you remember what Gran Gran said to us the day we saw Aang. She said our destinies were intertwined with his. And they were. My destiny was intertwined but nothing like yours. Your destinies are like that ball of yarn, Katara. They're so tangled up that they can't be unraveled."

"Sokka…"

"I'm just trying to help."

"Don't try to fix me, Sokka," Katara snapped. "I'm not broken."

Sokka sighed and walked to the exit but stopped before he left. "You are broken; you might be able to lie to yourself, but you can't lie to me. You're suffering. You're letting those stupid comments get to you."

"No I'm not," Katara sighed. "I just thought it would be better if I…"

"If you what? Ran away? You've never been the type who's run because of what others are saying."

"That's because people have never said much about me."

Sokka shook his head. "You've always been stubborn, Katara. Hey, at least I tried to get you to change your mind about hiding."

"I'm not hiding." Katara protested.

Sokka ignored her. "You don't plan on staying here forever, do you? Zuko and Mai are engaged. Their getting married in a few months; you should come."

"When did…?"

"I hope you're happy," Sokka said, interrupting. He gave a small smile and left his sister standing on the balcony, wondering what to make of his visit.


	3. Lonely Toph, Suki, and Mai

Chapter III: Lonely Toph, Suki, and Mai

Toph didn't need to be able to see to tell something was wrong. Iroh was pacing back and forth, glancing out the window every now and then. Toph frowned and watched the former general as he poked his head out the door for hundredth time that hour. His vibrations were driving her crazy.

"Do you think my nephew should be taking this long?" He asked, gazing at the blind earthbender.

Toph shrugged but otherwise remained silent. Iroh passed a hand over his face and watched silently as the blind girl got up from her seat and strode out to the balcony that overlooked the city. A knowing smile crossed his face. Although Toph was trying to conceal it, Iroh could tell she missed Katara. Even Mai was more dejected than usual and when Iroh commented about it she had merely responded that Katara's disappearance meant she had no sparring partner for the day.

"I wonder what's taking them so long," Iroh muttered as he and Suki joined Toph on the balcony.

Suki shrugged. "Maybe they lost the rebels."

"Maybe," Iroh replied, gazing at the horizon.

"No offense," Suki said. "But why is Aang even out there? He saved the world; doesn't he deserve a break?"

Iroh smiled sadly. "For the Avatar, there is never a real break. But Aang offered to help; it's not like Zuko or I forced him to help find the rebels."

Toph sighed and spoke up for the first time in hours. "It's really lonely with Katara, Zuko and Aang gone. I never thought I would miss Katara's nagging."

"Nagging?" Suki raised an eyebrow at her but realized Toph couldn't see. "What do you mean nagging?"

Toph gave a small smile. "Nothing. It's just Katara was the one that used to bug me to do stuff. I guess I relied on it more than I thought." She shrugged.

Suki nodded knowingly. "I just don't understand why she would disappear like that. I always thought running away was more of your thing."

Toph frowned. "Just because I left doesn't mean…"

"I didn't mean you're the type who always runs away," Suki hastily amended, noticing the glare the blind earthbender was giving her. "I just meant…never mind."

Toph shrugged and turned back towards the city. The sun was slipping behind the horizon and a ghost of a crescent moon was imprinted in the evening sky. "I'll say this much for her: she runs fast. She's nowhere nearby."

"How do you know?" Suki demanded.

Iroh chuckled. "I believe she spent a good portion of the day looking for her. Did you find anything interesting?"

"The usual," Toph said, nonchalantly. "Some of the guys in the market seem to think Suki's quite the catch."

The warrior scowled. "They're always like that. I'm sure they must have said that to you too."

"They did but…"

Suki groaned. "Sorry, Toph. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that those guys to do it _all _girls, even little school girls. It's disgusting."

Toph gave a small laugh. "Yeah, I know. But I wouldn't worry about them."

"Why not?"

"I gave them a warning. I used a little friendly earthbending."

"Friendly earthbending?" Suki repeated.

Toph shrugged offhandedly. "It'll take them a few hours to get out." Iroh and Suki burst out laughing and Toph smiled.

"What's so funny?" Mai asked, walking towards them.

Iroh just shook his head and wiped away a few tears. "Is my nephew back?"

"I'm back, Uncle," Zuko called, sticking his head out of the door. "I'll be out in a minute."

"What's with him?"Toph demanded as Zuko slipped back indoors. "His vibrations just scream irritation."

Mai shrugged. "He's just upset because he almost lost a fight with one of the rebels."

"Good luck with him," Toph said, walking inside. "I don't know how you're going to put up with that." Suki stifled a laugh and followed the blind earthbender inside.

"Where are Sokka and Aang?" Mai asked, following the others inside.

"Sokka's looking for Katara," Suki explained. "And Aang went with Zuko so he should be back."

"Actually, he's not coming back," Zuko interjected, entering the room. "The rebels are heading towards the Western Air Temple, so he thought he might be able to follow them and find out what they're up to."

"Typical," Toph muttered. "But what about Sokka?"

"What about me?"

All eyes turned to find the water tribe warrior, walking despondently towards them. He looked tired and sleepy and his sister wasn't with him.

"I tried," he said, throwing himself on the nearest chair available. "But Katara's stubborn and she won't come."

"Where is she?" Iroh questioned.

"The Western Air Temple."

"How'd she get there so fast?" Suki asked.

Sokka shrugged. "She's Katara. You know her." He gave a small smile.

"There are rebels heading there," Zuko exclaimed.

"There are?" Sokka looked puzzled.

"More importantly, Twinkle Toes is headed there," Toph pointed out.

"He is?" Sokka asked, utterly confused now. "Why is Aang going to the Western Air Temple?"

"Long story short, rebels attacked and we fought them and they got away," Zuko explained. "But Aang's following their trail to the Air Temple."

"So how is it important?" Sokka demanded, turning to Toph.

"Katara might not listen to reason, but I think she'll listen to him," Toph grinned.

Sokka shrugged. "I don't know, Toph. Katara can be very obstinate when she wants to."

"So?"

"So," Sokka replied. "She might not come back at all if she doesn't want to."

"What?" Toph cried. "Who's going to help me right letters home and keep nagging me to do stuff? You know I forgot to go meet the Earth King last week? Katara would have reminded me but she disappeared and I completely forgot."

"So you're forgetful," Mai said. "Big deal."

"It _is _a big deal," Toph said. "That was an important meeting. I'm just glad the Earth King wasn't mad at me."

"Maybe you guys are worrying too much about her," Mai said. "She's not a helpless little girl; she can take care of herself."

"I can't help it," Sokka said. "She'll always be my little sister. And besides, Katara has never stayed away this long before. It's been a week since she left."

"I know," Suki said. "We all miss her."

"All of you?" Iroh asked, smiling at Mai. She glowered at him.

"I'm only saying this once: I miss her too. Happy?"

Iroh grinned, satisfied.

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A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! :)


	4. Worried Sokka and Angry Zuko

Chapter IV: Worried Sokka and Angry Zuko

Sokka stared at his tunic before him and sighed. "I can't wear that. It's ripped."

"So?" Suki demanded. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"Couldn't you sew it up for me?" Sokka wondered.

Suki rolled her eyes. "Sokka, I spent my childhood learning how to fight, not how to sew. Honestly, I might just make it worse. Ask Mai. Isn't she considered nobility or something? They learn that kind of stuff."

"Mai?" Sokka echoed. "You want me to ask _Mai_ to help me? Do I need to remind you she's got super sharp knives and is in a really bad mood?"

"Point taken, but I can't help you much," Suki said, apologetically.

Sokka sighed. "Katara always used to help me. Man, I miss her."

"Maybe Mai's right. Maybe everyone's worrying a little too much about her."

"Maybe. But it feels weird not knowing she's here. We've never really been apart for very long."

"Cheer up," Suki said. "You know Katara. She can't stay away for _that _long."

"I don't know," Sokka admitted. "Like I said, Katara's stubborn."

"Well, she'll be fine. I'm sure the Western Air Temple is safe. She can handle a couple of firebenders."

"I know, but a lot of people know she's gone. What if something happens and…" Sokka stopped and laughed. "I'm starting to sound like her, aren't I?"

"A little," Suki laughed. "But it's okay."

* * *

"Are you going to do that all day?" Mai asked, yawning. "You've been at it for three hours."

"I almost lost a fight," Zuko cried. "I need practice."

"That doesn't mean you have to work yourself to death," Mai responded.

"I know, but sometimes, I feel like I haven't mastered firebending."

"You did and you taught Aang how to do it too, remember?"

"Yeah, but still."

Mai rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Toph's right; you're always mad."

"I can't help it," Zuko said. "I almost lost a fight. And there are still so many rebels out there. When my father was Fire Lord, it didn't seem like he had that many supporters but apparently he does."

"Well you and Aang are keeping an eye on them."

"He is. I came back."

"Why?"

"I'm the Fire Lord," Zuko said. "I can't spend weeks chasing after rebels. But I feel bad for making Aang go after them."

"Then order people around," Mai said. "That always cheered you up."

Zuko grinned. "Okay. I order you to go out to dinner with me."

Mai shook her head. "That was cheesy, Zuko."

"I just came up with it; of course it's going to be cheesy."

Mai rolled her eyes again, but she was smiling.

* * *

The Western Air Temple was outlined by light of the setting sun as the two rebels walked towards it. They were tired and sore, but they pressed on anyway. If they stopped, there was no telling when the Avatar would catch them. The taller of the two, a well-built earthbender, looked over his shoulder every now and then. He and his companion, a stocky firebender, had been careful to cover their trail, but the Avatar's sky bison could probably sniff out their scent miles away.

"Do you think he'll be at the temple?" the firebender asked.

"The Avatar? I don't know. Let's hope not."

The firebender stoked his beard. "If only there was a way we could get the Avatar to surrender to the rebellion."

The earthbender snorted. "It's not going to happen."

"Oh, I don't know. I heard his girlfriend disappeared."

"That waterbender who travelled all over the world with him?"

The firebender nodded. "Took off sometime last week or something."

"So?" The earthbender asked.

"What if we captured her?"

"What would we do with her, you idiot?" the earthbender wanted to know. "And I don't think she's his girlfriend. Isn't some Earth Kingdom girl engaged to him?"

"I don't know. But I could have sworn…"

The earthbender hit his companion. "Don't come up with ideas ever again. You're last one almost got us killed and I lost two toes thanks to you."

"Sorry," the firebender mumbled. But then his face lit up. "What if we captured the Fire Lord? He and the Avatar are friends, right? Then we could…"

The earthbender threw a rock at him. "We're not capturing anyone, got it? We're going to hide in the Western Air Temple until the Avatar stops following us and then we're going back to the rendezvous point, understood?" The firebender nodded meekly and followed the earthbender into the temple.

* * *

Katara stood on the balcony of the temple and stared at the sunset. The sun had stained the sky with hues of red and pink but though her eyes were focused on the scenery, she saw nothing. Her mind was more or less occupied with thoughts of home. She missed her brother and her friends and she was unhappy. But more than anything, she was ashamed. A week ago, running away felt like the right thing to do, but now she hated herself for it. She couldn't believe she had actually left because people were fabricating stories about her. She had never paid attention to anything people said about her; people were always coming up with ridiculous stories about Katara and all her friends. So, she wondered why she had run away. I bet this will fuel the gossip for a long time, she thought to herself. Oh well. When she returned, she would have to put up with it.

Unconsciously, she sighed again and her gaze drifted to the sky. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw the outline of a sky bison, but it was only a flock of birds, flying somewhere high in the sky. Thinking of flying reminded Katara of a certain, fluffy sky bison and his owner and she wondered what Aang was up to.

Far away, a certain airbender was lying on the back of a certain sky bison, wondering what a certain waterbender with dazzling blue eyes was up to.


	5. Spirited Katara

Chapter V: Spirited Katara

The Western Air Temple looked better than Aang imagined, considering no one had visited the place for a while. He had expected more rubble since the last time he had been there, Azula had decided to bomb the place, but much to his surprise, most of the temple was still intact. He wasn't too surprised, though, when he found signs of the rebels. They had built campfires in several rooms and there were half-eaten meals lying around in various nooks and crannies of the temple.

"I guess they're gone now," he said, turning to his bison who grunted in reply. "It doesn't look like they're here." Appa grunted again and plopped down, closing his eyes. Aang smiled and wandered off in search of Momo. He found the lemur in what appeared to be the neatest room in the entire temple. Momo was chattering excitedly and clutching something in his hands.

"What's wrong, Momo?"

The tiny lemur unfurled his hands and Aang blinked at the piece of cloth reposing there.

"It's just a piece of cloth, Momo. It's not…"But he stopped mid-sentence. The blue fabric the lemur was holding was awfully familiar. It reminded Aang of water and Katara. "Is that…?"

Momo cocked his head to one side and blinked at the puzzled airbender before pointing to a closet. Aang pushed the door open, surprised to find a mat and a woven pillow. But something else caught his attention. Nestled in a corner of the closet was a water skin.

"It's Katara's," he gasped. Momo flew in circles around the room. "So this is where she came. I wonder if Sokka knows." He grabbed the water skin and beckoned for Momo to follow before running out the room towards the courtyard.

* * *

Katara strained her ears to hear. For the last forty minutes, she had been hiding behind the statue of an unknown airbender listening to two rebels talk. At first, their conversation was dull but suddenly, they started talking about the rebellion. Katara smiled to herself from behind the statue. If she could learn where their base was, she could tell Zuko and he could have soldiers there in a heartbeat. But as it happened, Katara revealed herself when she shifted her position ever so slightly. Some of the rubble that she was kneeling over moved and the men instantly heard the noise.

"Who's there?" one asked and Katara froze, hoping he wouldn't look behind the statute. Her hand automatically went to her side for her water skin, but with a sinking feeling she realized she left it in her room. "You take a look over there. I'll check this wing. You know where to meet when you're done." Katara waited for both men to leave before racing to her room. But when she opened the closet door, she was surprised to find the water skin gone.

The earthbender waited patiently in the courtyard for his guest to arrive. He fiddled with a lock of his hair, a smile playing on his lips. He couldn't wait to see the surprise on her face when she wandered into the courtyard. And he couldn't wait to see how she would react when he took her back to the rendezvous point with him.

* * *

Katara ducked under the stone arch and entered the courtyard, breathing a sigh of relief. At least here there was a pond with water to bend. Still, she wondered what happened to her water skin. It wasn't valuable to anyone but her. Maybe I left it on the balcony. She thought. But when she turned to go, she bumped into the earthbender.

He smiled, showing his yellow teeth and Katara shuddered. "Going somewhere?" he asked, politely. Katara took a step back, but the earthbender laughed. "I don't bite. I'd like to know why you were spying on me back there."

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I live here," was her reply.

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing way out here?"

Katara scowled. "Leave me alone."

"You never answered my question. Why were you spying on us?"

"I just wanted to see who was here."

The earthbender smiled. "Of course. I'm an earthbender and you are…?"

"Leaving." Katara replied. She turned to go, but before she knew it, several small stones were hurtling towards her. Acting reflexively, she bent the water from the pond and froze it so the stones collided with ice before falling at her feet.

"How very interesting," the earthbender said. "You're a waterbender." Katara mentally cursed herself. She shouldn't have done that. "You must be the Avatar's girl then." Katara's surprised expression seemed to please him.

"I am not."

The earthbender held up a hand. "I'm not a fool. There are not that many waterbenders out here so don't tell me you're not."

"I am a waterbender, but I'm not the Avatar's girl," Katara snapped. "I'm not anyone's girl."

"How unfortunate," the earthbender replied. "You're awfully pretty."

Katara glared at him and turned to go, but he stopped her.

"Such a shame," the earthbender shook his head. "I can't exactly let you leave, now can I?"

For a minute, Katara's heart stopped. "What do you mean?"

"You heard too much, princess." Before Katara knew what was happening, the earthbender had sent several large chucks of rock headed in her direction. There wasn't enough water in the shallow pond to stop those rocks from hitting her, so she ran into the darkened corridors of the temple. There was rubble everywhere and she often tripped, but she ran as fast as she could to avoid the earthbender. Unfortunately, he seemed to have a knack for finding her because when she entered another courtyard, he was waiting for her there.

"You should be more careful," he said, motioning to her dress. The hem was soiled and frayed and she had scrapes all over, but she didn't have too much time to focus on that. Almost immediately, a sharp slab of rock was headed in her direction and with no water to bend, she was almost defenseless. Instinctively, she put up her hands to shield herself. But the rock cut her as it made contact with her palm and crimson blood came pouring out.

"You should be careful," the earthbender whispered to her. "That cut could get infected."

"Wouldn't you love that?" she retorted.

"It doesn't have to be this way," the earthbender said. "All you have to do is come with me willingly to the rebel base."

"Over my dead body."

He sighed. "I wish you hadn't said that. It's such a shame when one has to do unpleasant things to people they like."

"What…?" Katara began, but the earthbender just smiled sadly before encasing her feet in earth.

"Oh good, you've come," the earthbender said, turning to his companion. "What took you so long?"

The firebender looked worried. "Someone else is here. I heard voices on my way here."

"That could be a problem," the earthbender said.

"We've got to dispose of this one quickly." The firebender pointed a finger at Katara and she frowned.

"Dispose of her? I don't think so. Do you know how much she's worth?" the earthbender replied. The firebender frowned and began quarreling with his companion. They were so busy arguing they didn't know Katara had bent water over them until they were soaking wet, but before either of them could bend, she had a water whip out and in one fluid moment, she had knocked the firebender unconscious and the earthbender off balance.

The earthbender chuckled, getting up. "You're spirited, aren't you? But you're at my mercy, so I wouldn't try anything funny." For a moment, Katara thought of using bloodbending, but she couldn't. So she just stood there and waited.

"We really have no use for you," the earthbender said. "What should we do with you?"

"How about throwing me off a cliff?" was Katara's sarcastic response.

"Not a bad idea," the earthbender muttered. "We definitely wouldn't have to worry about you spilling all our secrets. Start walking." The earth that bound her feet crumbled and Katara gaped at him.

"You're joking, right?"

"Not at all. Desperate times call for desperate measures. And we're in bit of a hurry."

"I'm not jumping off a cliff and you can't make me."

"Don't test me; I can be very unpleasant. Keep walking."

"Make me," Katara challenged. Frustrated, the earthbender moved towards her, but a voice stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Both Katara and the earthbender turned to find a figure standing in the shadows.

"Who are you to tell me what I can't do?" the earthbender wanted to know. But the instant the figure stepped into the light, the earthbender turned pale. "The Avatar!"

"Aang?"

The earthbender looked nervous. "If you want the waterbender, you'll have to get her yourself." He shoved Katara to the edge of the balcony.

"Don't do it," the firebender pleaded. He conscious now, and rubbing his head from where Katara had hit him. "He'll kill us."

"Fine," the earthbender agreed. "I won't as long as you don't kill us and let us go."

Aang rolled his eyes. "I wasn't planning on killing anyone."

Wordlessly, the Earthbender and the firebender left. But minutes later, the entire balcony gave way.

* * *

"What are you doing?" the firebender shrieked as he ran to catch up with his companion. "You just destroyed the balcony and you agreed not to kill the waterbender."

"I did what I had to do," the earthbender said, running as fast as he could through the corridors. "As long as she lives, she's a threat to the rebellion. Now let's go." The two never made it far. Before they could protest, the Avatar had locked them in one of the Air Temple chambers and had shut the doors.

"I wouldn't bother getting out," he called as he walked away. "Only airbending opens and closes the door." The rebels glanced nervously at each other before trying to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

* * *

As soon as Aang entered the room, Katara hugged him. "You're alive!"

He blinked in surprise. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"The whole balcony gave way and I couldn't see anything once I fell."

"Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Was Appa under the balcony the whole time?"

Aang nodded. "I actually had no idea the earthbender was going to try to push you off of it. I saw the firebender and I had Appa there in case we needed to make a quick getaway."

"How did you know I was here? Did Sokka tell you?"

"No. Momo found your water skin," Aang admitted, handing her the pouch.

"I was wondering where this thing went," Katara said, smiling.

"You know you really had Sokka worried when you ran away."

Katara's smile faded. "I know," she replied, softly.

"So why'd you do it?"

"Because I couldn't take those stupid comments anymore," Katara blurted out. "They got to me even though I tried to ignore them. But I couldn't."

"So you ran away?"

Katara nodded. "But I feel so stupid right now."

Aang smiled. "You were stupid for letting those comments get to you."

"I know."

"Are you coming?"

"Where?" Katara asked.

"Home," Aang clarified. "I don't think this place is the greatest place to live in."

Katara shrugged. "It's not that bad, just lonely. And yes, I'm coming." She smiled and followed him out.

* * *

Katara stared at the night sky and smiled. "It's been so long since we've done this."

"It's your fault we're camping again," Aang teased. "We could have been home by now if you hadn't decided to stop at that town before the storm hit."

"I was hungry," Katara muttered. "I haven't had good food in a week."

"I'm sure it beats this food."

Katara shrugged. "I don't mind nuts and berries. We used to live off them, remember?"

Aang nodded. "How could I forget?"

"Was everyone really worried when I left?"

Aang nodded. "Even Mai was more depressed than usual."

"I never thought she'd miss me."

"She did although she tried not to show it."

"Well, I missed everyone too. It was lonely staying all by myself."

"I can imagine," Aang said. "You feel broken."

Katara laughed softly and stared at the stars flecked across the sky. "Sokka said the same thing to me when he came to the temple. He also said we were like this." She withdrew the ball of yarn from her pocket.

Aang raised an eyebrow. "A ball of yarn?"

"My Gran Gran once said our destinies were intertwined and Sokka said they were all tangled up like the ball of yarn."

"Is that a bad thing?" Aang questioned.

"No," Katara replied, shaking her head. "It's a good thing. If all of our destinies weren't intertwined, we never would have met. And if Sokka and I hadn't met you, we'd probably still be stuck in the South Pole doing chores and never meeting new people. So I can't say I'm upset our destinies are intertwined."

"If you thought our destinies were so tangled up, then why'd you leave?"

Katara sighed. "I told you; people were talking about me and it got to me. They were saying that I couldn't be seen around important people like you or Toph and stuff like that so I left. I thought it might help."

"Not really. Toph was freaking out the day she found out you were gone. She was so mad that you just disappeared and she had no one to remind her when to do things."

"That doesn't sound like Toph."

"Well running away doesn't sound like you."

"It's not really my thing, but everyone does something crazy once in a while. And apparently, I was broken."

"And now?"

"I'm not broken anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm going home," she replied, avoiding his gaze. She couldn't tell him it was because of him she was no longer broken. But perhaps, one day she would.

"And you're staying there, right?"

Katara nodded, grinning. "I think I've had enough of running away."

"Me too. I don't know how much longer we could have put up with Sokka constantly worrying."

"Was he really _that_ worried?"

Aang nodded. "He missed you."

"I was only gone a week."

"That's why he missed you," Aang repeated. "We all missed you."

"Why?"

Aang groaned. "You can be so stupid sometimes, Katara." She didn't respond, so Aang continued. "Lots of people missed you."

"I highly doubt that."

"There was a Fire Nation official who kept asking after you."

"I don't know any Fire Nation officials." Katara pointed out.

Aang shrugged. "He knows you. He kept asking what happened to the 'spirited waterbender that always livened up boring meetings with her smile.'"

Katara blinked. "He said that?"

Aang nodded. "Lots of people said things like that. Lots of people missed you, so don't run away again."

"I won't," Katara promised. Somewhere up in the trees, an owl hooted as if to remind the two of the time. The moon was high in the sky, so Katara could only guess that it was past midnight but neither of them moved. Aang was staring at the stars, so Katara did the same. She wondered if the young airbender really missed her or if he was just saying so to make her come back. Of course she was fast asleep when Aang looked her way again.

"Sweet dreams, Katara," he whispered. "I missed you."


	6. Epilogue: Broken but Mending

Epilogue: Broken but Mending

"Papaya, miss?"

Katara turned to find a young man holding a tray full of bowls containing slices of the fruit. Katara smiled and shook her head. "No thank you." The waiter shrugged and disappeared into the crowd. Katara watched him go, smiling to herself. This time, she had stayed well away from the food. And the people, she realized, sadly. She hadn't seen Toph at all in the last few hours though she was almost positive the blind earthbender was sitting in a corner somewhere and thinking up a punishment for her; she was still mad at Katara for running away all those months ago even if she had forgiven her. She had seen Zuko and Mai once the entire evening and she had chatted briefly with Suki before her brother claimed the warrior for a dance. And she hadn't seen Aang at all.

"Katara?"

Katara turned around to find the young Avatar gazing at her. "Hi, Aang."

"Toph's mad at you," he said, casually, sitting down next to her. "You ran away."

"That's was months ago," Katara pointed out.

"You ran way _again_," he clarified.

"No I didn't. I'm right here."

"Exactly. You're all alone in an empty courtyard while everyone's partying inside."

"That's not running away," Katara said.

"Toph seems to think so. And I agree."

Katara playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "You're all just making fun of me."

"No we're not." But he was smiling.

"I'd rather not go inside. You know what happened the last time."

"It wasn't _that_ bad, was it?"

Katara nodded. "It was. What are you doing out here?"

"Nothing," Aang lied. He didn't tell her he spent a good portion of the evening looking for her. "I just needed to get out of there." He motioned to the throng of people talking and dancing indoors.

"So you ran away?" Katara mocked.

"Something like that," he admitted. "And you seemed bored out here so I thought I'd keep you company."

"You didn't have to, you know?"

"I know. But I wanted to. It beats talking to the same people over and over again about the same topic."

"It can't be that bad."

"It can be very boring, trust me."

"Oh."

"You broke your promise," Aang said, suddenly. "You promised you weren't going to run away."

"If you're trying to think of a punishment, Toph's already got it covered," Katara warned. "And I don't think she's going easy on me this time."

"When has Toph ever gone easy?" He wanted to know. "But I wasn't thinking of a punishment."

"Then what were you thinking of?"

He shrugged. "Nothing much. You just get lonely after you run away. I missed all my old friends after I ran away."

"Would you have stayed if you had a second chance?"

He didn't hesitate with his reply. "No, I wouldn't stay."

"Why not?"

"If I hadn't run away, I wouldn't have met you and Sokka, or Toph, and everyone else. I probably would have died with all the other airbenders when Sozin attacked them."

"But if you had stayed…"

"If I had stayed, Ozai would have probably destroyed the Earth Kingdom and won the war."

"But you wouldn't have to worry about being the Avatar."

"The monks had already told me then, so I still would have." Aang smiled, sadly. "But I don't hate being the Avatar. I used to, but not anymore. There's a bunch of good things that come with it."

"Like what?" Katara wondered.

"I got to travel the world and see lots of new places. And I made lots of friends. And I met you."

Katara didn't look at him. "I'm sure you would have been happier your other friends."

"No," he replied, matter-of-factly. "Something tells me I wouldn't."

"How do you know?" Katara whispered.

"When I was learning to master the Avatar State at the Eastern Air Temple, the guru told me I had to learn to let go of all earthly attachments. But I couldn't. And I'm glad I didn't."

"What are you talking about? What earthly attachments?"

"You promise not to freak out?"

Katara eyed him suspiciously but nodded. "I promise not to freak out if you tell me what your earthly attachment was."

"You."

For a moment, Katara's heart stopped. "What?" she cried, standing up. "You didn't master the Avatar State because of me?"

"You're freaking out," Aang muttered.

"You can't tell me something like that and expect me to stay calm," she yelled in a whisper.

"That's why I didn't tell you."

"All these years…" Katara glared at him. "Why would you do something like that? And you never even told me."

"You would have felt guilty for no reason."

Katara opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She scowled. Aang knew her too well. "Still," she said, angrily. "You needed the Avatar State. Why couldn't you just do it?"

"Because I couldn't and I didn't want to."

"But the world is more important the one person."

"The people make up the world," Aang said, simply.

"But you broke all the rules." Katara said.

"You were worth it. And it wouldn't have been the first time, either. Lots of other Avatars have broken the rules."

"You mastered the Avatar State during Sozin's Comet," Katara said in a small voice.

"And?"

She gave a sad smile. "So you let go after all."

He shook his head. "No, I don't think I did."

"Then how did you…?"

"I honestly don't know. Maybe it was because I was in danger."

"But you had control."

"I know."

"So then how…?"

"I'm not sure."

"How did you know I was in trouble in Ba Sing Se?"

"I had a vision but I'm pretty sure it was a one-time thing." Aang answered.

"In the catacombs, when you entered the Avatar State…"

"I tried," Aang replied. "But Azula was faster."

"Do you know what it feels like to be broken?" Katara asked, suddenly.

The airbender nodded. "How do you think I felt when I realized I was the last of my kind?"

"Sokka said I was broken." She gave a small laugh.

"Why were you broken?"

She waved a hand dismissively. "For a lot of reasons, but mainly because I missed you." She said the last part so quietly that he had to strain his ears to hear. But he smiled.

"We can be broken together, then," he said, taking her hand. "And the last of our kind too."

She smiled. "I hadn't really thought about that. I am the last real waterbender from the South Pole."

"Who knows? Maybe in the future there will be other Southerners who are waterbenders."

"Maybe," Katara said, gazing at the horizon. "Do you ever think of the future?"

"Not really," Aang conceded. "Why waste time worrying about what you don't know? Besides, I've got everything I need in the present."

When he kissed her, Katara could have sworn she heard someone cheering in the background, but she wasn't quite sure. Her heart was beating erratically in her chest and her mind went blank. All she knew was that she was no longer broken. And if people wanted to talk about her, she decided she would take everything in stride. Sokka had been right when he said she was broken and suffering. Perhaps, Aang had been just as broken as she had. But now, it seemed that being broken together made them whole again.

Her Gran Gran had once said that nothing was worth the pain of running away from the one you loved. When she was younger, Katara had supposed that her grandmother was quoting an ancient proverb, but now, she understood that her grandmother was speaking from experience. She reasoned that if she had heeded her grandmother's advice, she wouldn't have spent a week away from her family and friends.

Even all these months later, as she sat talking to the young Avatar, she never understood how being apart from her family and friends caused her to feel so lonely and broken. Her week at the Western Air Temple had been uneventful (until Aang and the rebels showed up) and she had been fighting to get through each minute. There were times when she honestly believed she had done the right thing, but now listening to Aang's story, she began to wonder.

He hadn't really pressed her on the subject of why she ran away. Her responses to his questions had been simple or vague, but they seemed to satisfy him. But when she asked him what it was really like without her, he had told her _everything_. And she began to realize just how true her grandmother's words were. Apparently, even Iroh had been affected by her sudden disappearance. And it made her wonder even more.

Aang hadn't said much about his feelings on her disappearance until she asked him outright. When he had said he missed her, his words had cut her like a knife. She felt stupid, not just because she had run away, but because she had hurt her friends. They had forgiven her, but it still hurt knowing she made them worry unnecessarily over her.

That pain, however, paled in comparison to the pain she felt when she had learned the truth. Part of her was glad that Aang had never told her what really happened with the guru because she was sure back then, she would have died within just knowing that she had been keeping him from mastering the Avatar State. But the other part of her hated him for being so compassionate. The fate of the entire world had rested in his hands but he had risked it for her. And no matter how she tried to look at it, she couldn't convince herself she was worth it.

Still, she couldn't say she was upset that Aang had chosen her over cosmic energy. If someone had asked her after the Comet or even a few months ago if she had feelings for the young airbender, she would have denied it. But now, she wasn't so sure she could. Even if she did, she was sure her emotions were written all over her face. And she no longer cared. If people didn't approve of her, she wasn't going to try and get them to change their minds and she certainly wasn't going to leave. Nothing, she decided, was worth the pain and heartbreak.

A shooting star sailed across the night sky and without thinking, Katara made a wish. She knew it was childish, but she couldn't help herself. Things had suddenly brightened for her and she didn't want to think of what might happen if everything changed. So she wished that everything would stay the same, that she would always have her friends and a certain airbender to turn to no matter what.

"You made a wish," Aang noted.

Katara nodded. "Silly, right?"

He shook his head, smiling all the while. "No, I made a wish too."

"For what?"

He gave her the tangled ball of yarn that Sokka had given to her months ago. "That our destinies stayed like this."

She laughed softly. "Intertwined?"

He nodded, his gray eyes twinkling. "They're tangled enough as it is, so I figured…"

He didn't need to complete his sentence because Katara understood what he meant. Their destinies were one and the same. They had to be, not just because she wished it to be so, but because it was true. Their destinies were horribly interwoven and she was glad. Without him, she was fractured, like a piece of glass shattered into a million different shards and without her, he was nothing. Without each other, they were broken, two halves of a whole but together, they completed each other. As long as they were together, she realized she could never feel broken. No matter what happened in the future, he would always be the one to fix her and she wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
